The House

The Story
of a family

Gently open the door of the Tesseron home
in Châteauneuf-sur-Charente and discover the family secret;
an incredibly rare collection of the finest cognacs.

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This treasure trove dates back to the nineteenth century when Abel Tesseron acquired the property to house his passion for collecting rare and priceless cognacs. He then realized his ultimate dream of creating his own cognacs.

Today, Alfred Tesseron and his children, Justine and Noé, together with his nieces Mélanie and Philippine, continue the work initiated by their ancestors.

1905 1st GENERATION

ABEL TESSERON

In 1905, Abel founded the Maison Abel Tesseron, adopting a longterm policy of building up stocks of eaux-de-vie that he carefully conserved in the twelfth century crypt. Relying on two separate estates, one situated in the Grande Champagne and the other in Petite Champagne, he distilled, aged and blended his exceptional eaux-de-vie making his dream a reality.

1940 2nd GENERATION

GUY TESSERON

Abel’s son, Guy Tesseron, joined him in 1940 bringing with him, his acute sense for business. He notably purchased Château Pontet-Canet in Pauillac in 1975, which is still owned by the family today. Together, they became renowned in the art of ageing cognacs, rapidly becoming one of the most sought after producers. For over a century, the Tesseron Cognac’s remained a hidden trade secret.

2000 3rd GENERATION

ALFRED TESSERON

At the beginning of the 2000s, Alfred and Gérard Tesseron, Guy’s children, made a decision that would change forever the course of the family business. They decided to release this invaluable collection of eaux-de-vies under their name. The first Tesseron XOs were born.

2018 4th GENERATION

NOÉ TESSERON

Since 2018, Noé Tesseron, Alfred’s son, has in turn contributed his skills to the family legacy, bringing a more modern vision and new impetus into the house and encouraging the creation of the most subtle and complex cognacs. Today, the range has been enhanced by a wide selection of infinitely rare and personalised compositions, all of them created with the utmost care and attention.

The House

THE VINES

The Tesseron cognacs
are made from the two most prestigious
appellations in the Cognac region:
Grande Champagne
and Petite Champagne,
in which the Maison’s 40 hectares
of vines are located.

Thanks to its limestone soils, Grande Champagne is renowned for producing the best cognacs of the region. Many years are needed for them to develop their legendary silky texture.

 

The longer they age, the greater the expression of their aromas and the smoother their texture.
The Petite Champagne soils are mostly made up of limestone and clay. The cognacs produced from this terroir bring freshness of taste and a silky finish to the final blend.
 
Tesseron cognac is one of the last cognac houses to still use the three Charentais grape varietals: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard.
 

Ugni Blanc is the main variety used in all the blends. It forms the backbone of all great cognac. The two other rare varieties, Folle Blanche and Colombard and have almost disappeared from the region, being difficult to grow and producing only modest yields. With their finesse and complexity, they add an extra dimension in the final blend.
 
Grapes are harvested in the early autumn and fermented to make a low strength, acidic wine of around 9% volume.

The House

IN THE HEART
OF THE VILLAGE

Set in the heart of the village
of Châteauneuf-sur-Charente
at 2 Boulevard Charles-Franc
since the 1960s,
the distillery of the Tesseron cognac house has remained
the central element of a historic
property in which the family house merges with numerous
old cellars.

Tesseron cognacs undergo a double distillation known as a ‘repasse’ in Charente copper ‘pot’ stills, which are heated by a naked flame. Only the ‘heart’ of the distillation is kept for the ageing of the cognac.

All the eaux-de-vie are distilled on lees, which enhances their complexity. This method produces a more sophisticated cognac that displays greater body and power, elegance and added length of flavour on the palate and superb finesse. Each stage of the distillation process is subject to a stringent tasting by the cellarmaster.